Windows users have been urged to make sure their operating systems are kept up to date after hackers released details of exploits which cyber criminals could use to hack Microsoft’s operating system.

Details of the exploits were released by the Shadow Brokers group of hackers , which alledge were stolen from the US National Security Agency last year.

It is claimed the NSA had been using the exploits to secretly access computers running versions of Windows from Vista to 2008.

A report from last wee said the NSA had compromised the Swift global banking system to monitor payment transactions from the Middle East.

Microsoft has since said that the exploits were patched more than one month before details of them were made public, but still urged users to make sure all their Windows devices are kept up to date.

“Most of the exploits that were disclosed fall into vulnerabilities that are already patched in our supported products,” the company said in a blog post.

“We encourage customers to ensure their computers are up-to-date.”

Microsoft said that users running the latest versions of Windows will be safe from the following exploits: EternalBlue, EmeraldThread, EternalChampion, ErraticGopher, EsikmoRoll, EternalRomance, EducatedScholar, EternalSynergy and EclipsedWing.

“Of the three remaining exploits, ‘EnglishmanDentist’, ‘EsteemAudit’, and ‘ExplodingCan’, none reproduces on supported platforms, which means that customers running Windows 7 and more recent versions of Windows or Exchange 2010 and newer versions of Exchange are not at risk,” Microsoft said.

“Customers still running prior versions of these products are encouraged to upgrade to a supported offering,” the company added.